Momentum is one of those x-factors that can be used to seriously enhance your game. In this article, I'm going to give you a rundown on some of the most powerful ways you can create - and maintain - your own momentum.

With the Universal Championship of Poker behind us, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my results and share with you what I've learned so that we can all use this insight to help us achieve peak performance, every single time.

As for me, the UCOP was a success. I had two second place finishes, one in a six max pot limit game of Omaha for around $900. I also scored second place in one of the early bird specials, a NHL full ring event for $2,000.

The thing about my headspace going into the UCOP was that I was committed to being the best player I could be, so in addition to playing the events, I spent most of my downtime studying. I watched tournament webinars by Alex Fitzgerald and I was also watching some heads up webinars by the fellas at Heads Up Sit 'n' Go to really fine-tune my shorthanded play. I knew that if I made it to a situation where I was heads up, I wanted to capitalize on that for not only the dollars I could earn, but also the points.

With this in mind, let's talk about my biggest take away from the UCOP.

The Creation of Momentum

We as human beings have the ability to create and maintain our own momentum. If we want something to happen, all we have to do is set the wheels in motion and that's going to give us that momentum.

Once you've done this, you can just roll with it and ride it to your end destination. It's not quite as easy as that sounds, however. You have to consider your pace. You won't be able to sustain your momentum if you're going too fast, and you won't stay the course if you're going too slow. So how do you know if your momentum is sustainable?

End of Day Check In

Now this part is easy: just check in with yourself. At the end of the day, are you totally spent? Or do you still have energy to burn? If you feel that you still have a lot of fuel left in your tank, you probably didn't push yourself hard enough. If you feel like you've got nothing left, you may have pushed yourself a little too hard.

Morning Check In

Another little test you can do involves feeling out your energy levels in the morning. If you feel like you have just as much energy and feel just as good as you did the morning before, you're most likely working at a pace that's sustainable.

If you feel like you have a little less energy, you're probably working at a pace that's sustainable, but only for a short period of time. If you have way less energy than the day before, you're most likely working at apace that's not only unsustainable, but it also means you're neglecting some key habits that are necessary to give you the energy you need to maintain your momentum and reach your goal.

The point is you're in control. You can create your momentum to reach almost any goal, as long as the plan is reasonable and the methods are sustainable. Define your goal well, check in with yourself often, and enjoy the ride!